Round Cairn

Fieldnotes

There is no obvious place to park other than the start of the (relatively) long access road for Carsegownie Farm. Consequently I left a note on the windscreen of the trusty Rover and went to have a quick look at what appeared - from the busy B9124, anyway - to be a quite substantial cairn, lying resplendent within crop beneath a canopy of trees.

The initial worry - well, not actually 'worry', but you know what I mean - is unfounded.... tractor tracks give access through the crop to the site, an oasis of prehistory within a sea of green. Or something like that. Initial impressions are immediately confirmed... the large diameter of the cairn, albeit not that tall. There is a significant volume of debris on top, both organic and inorganic in nature. No doubt some of this represents field clearance, but there are also several large, enigmatic stones to be seen, perhaps surviving from the original monument? Note the excavation detailed within my miscellaneous post of last year... a cist was discovered here; however the interior is too overgrown to be any more specific, I'm afraid, other than to confirm the existance of a 'hollow' where I assume it once lay? Pity, I guess, but the vibe within the trees here is pretty special nonetheless, what with Turin Hill - topped by myriad forts and rock art - keeping watch upon the southern skyline.

The farmer drives up and is either satisfied by my note, or does not give a monkey's one way or another. Yeah, it is refreshing to be at Carsegownie for a while.